


Cold Hands; Warm Hearts

by Akasrie



Category: Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, There's no shipping in here!, heavy mk spoilers for those who haven't read the comics/played the games, just FYI, might be hints of frossie tho, rushed at the end bc i wanted to finish this story lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 18:42:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,853
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19874275
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akasrie/pseuds/Akasrie
Summary: Everyone she has ever trusted and cared about has left her eventually.She knows it's her fault.





	Cold Hands; Warm Hearts

**Author's Note:**

> All about Frost! Also, there is NO Sub/Frost. Think that way and I’ll eat your knees.
> 
> A lot of scenes are from canon scenes that happened in the game/comics but I changed the dialogue because… you know. I wanted to I guess lol. And I don’t have access to the comics so I winged the entire fic and that’s that on that.
> 
> Lemme know if you want my Tumblr!

She lays awake at night, thinking.   
  


  
Her thoughts are like a hurricane inside her head - Deadly, suffocating, and cold. Very, very cold.   
  


  
Her mind races and she  _ overthinks overthinks overthinks  _ even the most mundane of things.    
  


  
When she’s not thinking she’s training to become better and better and better, and when she’s not training she thinks of how she could become better and better.   
  


  
She’s her own hardest critic, and she doesn’t even know why.   
  


  
She constantly wonders if she deserves to feel this way, after everything she’s done. She’s trying to do better, though. It’s all she can do.   
  


  
That has to count for something… right?   
  


* * *

  
She’s twelve years old when she kills her mother.

It’s the first time she’s ever killed someone before.   
  


  
Where she’s from, death doesn’t matter. What matters is getting enough food for today, or making sure that you have a shirt on your back, at the very least.   
  


  
What matters is that she remembers why she killed her. Or - it  _ should  _ matter, but she doesn’t really care. Or maybe she does, but won’t admit it.   
  


  
Growing up in poverty, she’s learned how to fend for herself. She learned how to steal, how to lie, how to manipulate, and most importantly, how to fight.   
  


  
She grew up in a town that was strife with crime, filled with people who wouldn’t hesitate to pull a gun on a girl, even if she was a mere adolescent. If you made one wrong move, you die. Simple. Frost wasn’t awarded with the thing called “Privilege”.   
  


  
That isn’t what she hated most about growing up, however.   
  


  
It’s that no matter what she did, it was never enough for anyone. Especially her mother.   
  


  
It was always something with her. Something she didn’t do good enough. She didn’t get enough food. She didn’t get the right kind of clothes. She got in too many fights, and she didn’t get in enough fights either.   
  


  
She was just a twelve year old girl looking for her mother’s approval.   
  


  
So she worked for it. And she worked and she worked and she worked. Every day, every night. Waiting, and hoping, and sometimes wishing for her mom to tell her that she did good. She did enough, and she can rest for today.   
  


  
But those words never came.   
  


  
One day, she got caught.   
  


  
In hindsight, how she got caught was really stupid. She went into a small grocery store she’s never been in before, who’s owners happened to be members of this deadly underground fight club, and everyone in the town knew not to cross them.   
  


  
She didn’t think about that, though. She was hungry.   
  


  
So when she got caught trying to handpick a few clementines and got thrown out in the back alley surrounded by a small group of angry and annoyed people, she knew this could be the end for her.   
  


  
And then something special happened to her.   
  


  
When the first guy comes after her, she panics, and immediately puts her arms up to block his attack. But his attack never came. Instead, what came was a couple of gasps and some confused muttering.   
  


  
Lowering her arms, she glances at her attacker, and is shocked to see that he is completely covered head to toe in ice.   
  


  
After a moment, the leader asks her how she did that.   
  


  
“I don’t know,” she says.   
  


  
“Try it again.”   
  


  
At his urging, she faces another guy, and puts her arms out again.   
  
  


This time, she can feel a very light, tingling sensation in her arms, and is surprised to see a jet of light blue shoot out of her fingertips and completely cover the man standing in front of her.   
  


  
The leader whistles low, and asks another question.   
  


  
“How would you like to join our group?”   
  


  
She doesn’t hesitate. Refusing means death, she’s not stupid.   
  


  
More importantly, she’ll be able to eat without having to steal it for once.   
  


  
There is one thing she has to do before she can join, however. She has to do the required initiation process.   
  


  
Hearing that she had to kill her mother, she was hesitant at first. Maybe a little afraid, too.   
  


  
But in the aftermath of it, she doesn’t feel afraid. Even though her heart is pounding, and her hands are shaking, she doesn’t really feel anything other than a small, twisted sense of relief.   
  


  
“Good job.” They tell her.   
  


  
“Good job,” she repeats to herself, quietly.  
  


* * *

  
The older Frost gets, the stronger her powers get too.   
  


  
No one around her can challenge her. Not really. She may be human, but she has a ginormous advantage that no one else has.   
  


  
She’s not ignorant, though. She’s well aware that in a universe like these, there are many people who also have powers special to them, and whose powers may even be stronger than hers.   
  


  
Which is why she wants to do everything she can to make sure that her powers are the strongest of them all.   
  


  
The stronger you are, the more people respect you, and the more people respect you, the more important you are in the grand scheme of things.   
  


  
Maybe that’s what she wants. To feel important to somebody.   
  


  
She wants to be the kind of person who, when you think of powerful people - powerful  _ women  _ \- one of the first names that pops in your head is  _ hers _ . Frost.   
  


  
She wants to be so strong that she’ll never have to depend on anyone again. She has herself. She’s okay with that.   
  


  
(Or she will be. Eventually.)   
  


  
Thanks to the death ring group she joined, Frost has quickly become a better and more efficient fighter. Actually, she has become one of, if not  _ the  _ greatest fighters in the entire business of underground American fight clubs. Twenty-one wins and no losses. Thirteen flawless victories.   
  


  
Every single one ending in a Fatality. Obviously.   
  


  
Tonight, she’s back at it again. She steps into the middle of the ring. Bright lights, purple and blue and sometimes white, overhead obscure her vision of the rowdy crowd behind the cage around her. Not like she has any problem with that - her focus is never on the crowd anyway.   
  


  
A girl steps into the ring. She’s young - and new - and Frost can already sense her overconfidence. It kind of reminds her of herself, but at least she knows she has the skills to back it up.   
  


  
She’s pretty. Really, really pretty, with blonde hair as short as Frost’s and a face that looks soft to the touch. She’s frowning right now, probably because she realizes that this isn’t a normal fight match, it’s a death match, but Frost can’t help but think that she has a smile that is enough to set butterflies free in her stomach.   
  


  
The announcer calls out their names. Frost’s heart swells a little in pride when her name is met with a generously loud cheer.   
  


  
The girl’s name is Cassie Cage.   
  


  
Ah. Cassandra Cage. The famous daughter of the famous fake-fighting actor Johnny Cage and the famous Earthrealm soldier Sonya Blade. No wonder she’s so pretty.   
  


  
Frost has always hated going against women. Especially those who don’t belong here. Those whose eyes are a little too bright-eyed and big, and whose hits and kicks and punches, while they may sting, clearly lack the experience of a fully fledged fighter.   
  


  
She wants to protect those women from things like this. She wants to hold them, and care for them, and make sure that they know they can depend on her for anything. She wants to love them… and she wants them to love her too…   
  


  
But looking at  _ her _ . At  _ Cassie _ .   
  


  
Frost isn’t fooled, and she’s having a hard time keeping her anger in check.   
  


  
Cassie may be the daughter of an actor, but she’s also the daughter of Earthrealm’s Special Forces general. There’s no way her mother didn’t teach her how to fight, or how to defend herself.   
  


  
So why is  _ she  _ here? Shouldn’t she be in Beverly Hills, sipping on martinis and tanning in the sun while barking orders at her butler with her diamond encrusted larynx or whatever it is that famous people do?   
  


  
There’s no reason for her to participate in a  _ fight club  _ of all things. Perhaps she’s here for a friend. Well, no, she’s actually the one who signed up to fight, isn’t she? That’s why she’s standing in front of Frost right now. She might have something to prove to herself, that’d be understandable. To Frost at least. It’s what she does to herself all the time.   
  


  
Or maybe, and Frost knows this to be the case, Cassie’s just here for  _ fun _ . Now  _ that _ pisses her off.   
  


  
She’s no fighter. She’s just some cringy asshole actor’s rich brat who’s probably never lifted a finger in her entire perfect, dainty life.   
  


  
She has the nerve to stand right here in this rink, in front of Frost, and act as though she has something to  _ gain  _ by fighting? She already  _ has  _ everything. She was  _ born  _ with everything. Frost had to fight blood, sweat, and tears to be where she is right now, in this very moment, and all Cassie had to do was, what, exactly? Cry to Daddy? Bribe a couple of bouncers?   
  


  
Cassie herself had been looking at Frost the entire time, and Frost can tell that her expression had changed to something more menacing and angry, because she caught a glimpse of something in Cassie’s stance stagger; a flicker of Cassie’s confidence wavering . It wasn’t big, and it wouldn’t be noticeable to anyone else, but Frost has been at this kind of thing for a long time. She knows what to look for in an opponent.   
  


  
And she knows how to take advantage of it.   
  


  
She purposefully looks Cassie up and down, and with a sneer says “You are nothing special. This fight will be easy for me.”   
  


  
At this, Cassie’s face goes hard and defensive.   
  


  
“I could say the same about you, Frosty. Shouldn’t you know by now to not underestimate your opponent?”   
  


  
“Going against someone like you is a waste of my time. Good thing this match isn’t going to last long.”   
  


  
Before Cassie could respond, a sudden loud ringing buzzer sounds, signaling for the fight to begin.   
  


  
Frost, as expected, is quicker to act than Cassie is, and the fight ends faster than it started.   
  


  
All it took was for one good powerful kick right in the face, and Cassie is already down on the ground, bruised and bloody.   
  


  
Frost doesn’t stop, though. She hits and kicks and wails on the girl, fighting as if she was bordering on becoming a wild animal. Her knuckles, while covered in protective bandages, are beginning to ache, and decides to stop because she knows she’s doing too much.   
  


  
Cassie, to her credit, hasn’t lost consciousness yet and has been able to successfully block most of the attack, but isn’t able to retaliate.   
  


  
Frost, who had decided on her own accord that she had already won, prepares the final blow - the killing blow.   
  


  
She smirks down at Cassie, and, with her hand raising up, glowing a deadly shade of blue, says “Looks I have your number now, you spoiled princess.”   
  


  
Cassie isn’t giving up, though.   
Fast on her feet, Cassie bolts upwards and slams her head into Frost’s face with enough force to make the other woman stumble backwards, hands clutching her nose.   
  


  
Cassie rolls to the left, and delivers a hard sweep kick to Frost’s leg, knocking her down.   
  


  
As soon as Frost hits the ground, Cassie is on her, quickly wrapping both of her legs around Frost’s neck in a chokehold.   
  
Frost can’t move, or breathe, and her vision is slowly starting to blur around the edges.   
  


  
The noise from the crowd around her grows quieter, slowly being replaced by a buzzing white noise that seems to be covering her entire head. She vaguely thinks that she’s about to die, but she’s not scared. She just needs to  _ breathe _ .   
  


  
Cassie just keeps squeezing, squeezing, squeezing, and Frost is  _ falling, falling, falling _ , until a sense of uneasy peace washes over her, and everything around her fades into black.   
  
  
. . .  
  
  
She wakes up surrounded by a bright, white light.   
  


  
Groggily, she blinks, and keeps blinking until, along with a strong sense of mortifying horror, she realizes she’s in a hospital room, on a hospital bed.   
  


  
She’s not dead.   
  


  
Why is she not dead?   
  


  
Fortunately, she doesn’t have to ponder for long as a nurse comes into her room to check on her.   
  


  
After making sure her vitals were clear and she is in good enough shape to sit up, the nurse informs her of what happened after the passed out.   
  


  
Cassie Cage had won with a knockout.   
  


  
Because of the rules of the death match, Cassie was forced to kill Frost despite clearly not wanting to, in order to save her friend Jacqui who was being held at gunpoint.   
  


  
When Cassie was about to crush Frost’s neck with her foot, the Black Dragons came out of nowhere. No one saw it coming, and chaos proceeded to ensue.   
  


  
Seeing her chance, Cassie quickly grabbed Frost and brought her outside to safety.   
  


  
What happened to Cassie and the friend who came with her, the nurse doesn’t know. All she knows is that when the Special Forces showed up after the Black Dragons, a medical evacuation was called to the scene, and Frost was taken away in an ambulance shortly after being dragged outside.   
  


  
The story ends, and seeing that she’s being met with silence, the nurse leaves, promising to bring Frost some food when she feels better.   
  


  
The door closes, and Frost sinks back against the hospital pillows.   
  


  
She doesn’t know what to think after hearing all of that.   
  


  
She can’t think of any reason for Cassie’s mercy, especially with how unnecessarily brutal Frost was being when going against her.   
  


  
_ It was merely coincidence _ , Frost bitterly thinks.  _ If it weren’t for the Black Dragons, she would have definitely killed me _ .   
  


  
There’s an annoying voice in the back of her head that tells her Cassie still could have killed her, even with the Black Dragon’s interference. She just didn’t want to.   
  


  
But that’s the difference between Cassie and Frost, isn’t it?   
  


  
Cassie’s always had a choice. Frost never did.   
  


  
Maybe the anger Frost felt towards Cassie earlier wasn’t really anger, but just intense, ugly jealousy at the fact that Cassie will always get what Frost will never have.   
  


  
She sighs and closes her eyes.   
  


  
She doesn’t have it in herself to be angry. Not right now, anyway.   
  


* * *

  
Exactly 24 weeks after being discharged from the hospital, Frost is approached by Raiden.   
  


  
Using the money she’s saved up over the years from her fights, she’s been staying in hotels all over the country. After her embarrassing loss to Cassie, she knows she can’t go back there, and she knows that even if she tried, they’d never take her back. No place for losers.   
  


  
Every single person who’s lost there has died, and she just so happens to be the unlikely exception. She’s not stupid enough to risk it.   
  


  
She isn’t scared enough to not be seen, however.   
  


  
Travelling has given her the most freedom she’s ever had, and she uses that opportunity to walk around each town she visits.   
  


  
She doesn’t shop - doesn’t want her name attached to anything in case one of the fight club goons are looking for her. No, she just spends her time looking at the wide array of scenery she comes across. It’s nice. It’s calming.   
  


  
But that calmness she feels in this town’s park is stunted by the fact that someone  _ has  _ been trying to find her.   
  


  
Every time she goes back to the hotel she’s staying at, the receptionist at the front informs her that someone has shown up, looking for her.   
  


  
It’s been happening for the past couple of weeks, and she’s growing suspicious.   
  


  
She never,  _ ever  _ mentioned her whereabouts to anyone. Not where she is, and not where she plans on going to next.   
  


  
They did have the courtesy to mention to her that the person’s name is Raiden. She knows who that is. It’s kind of hard not to.   
  


  
It doesn’t help ease her suspicion at all. Why does the Thunder God want to find her? And badly enough to where he’s been at every single location she’s been?   
  


  
She doesn’t know, and she can’t help but hope that whatever he wants to talk to her about, it has nothing to do with what happened with her and Cassie Cage.   
  


  
Fight clubs are illegal, and murder is also illegal, and she’s participated in enough of both to know that if she got caught, she’d be royally fucked.   
  


  
Walking back into the hotel, she notices a faint sense of electricity in the air as she’s climbing up the stairs to go back to her room. It gets stronger the closer she gets.   
  


  
She already knows Raiden is inside. There’s no point in accidentally avoiding him anymore.   
  


  
Opening the door, she sees him just… standing there. In the middle of the room. Doing nothing. The television isn’t even on, how long as he just been standing there like that?   
  


  
Raiden looks at her, and gives her a nod of greeting.   
  


  
“Greetings, Frost. I am glad to have run into you like this.”   
  


  
“Do you break into everyone’s room just to talk to them, or am I special?” she says, annoyed. How the hell did he even get in here? Probably some dumb God ability he has, who knows.   
  
  


“My apologies,” he says sincerely. “I did not know how to reach you any other way.”   
  


  
“Why did you need to reach me in the first place?” Frost asks, walking over to her bed and sitting down.   
  


  
“There is a tournament in China, hosted by Kuai Liang, Grandmaster of the Lin Kuei,” he informs her.   
  


  
Frost blinks slowly at him. “Okay… and what, exactly, does that have to do with me, Raiden? Don’t you already have Earthrealm champions willing to fight your battles for you?”   
  


  
Raiden’s face turns stern. “Hold your tongue, Frost,” he says warningly. “I’ve come because I’ve heard about your fighting skills, and I believe that it would be in your best interest to compete in the tournament and attempt to become a member of the Lin Kuei.”   
  


  
She still isn’t buying it. “And why  _ me _ ? Why me specifically? You don’t know me, Raiden, so I doubt you have  _ my  _ best interests in mind.”   
  


  
“I care about everybody on Earthrealm. Surely you know that.” Then he sighs, and almost like an afterthought adds “Plus I owe Sub-Zero a favor.”   
  


  
“Sub-Zero?”   
  


  
“Kuai Liang’s codename.” Hm. Okay. Well at least he admits he didn’t particularly have  _ her _ in mind.   
  


  
“There is also something you should know about him before you make up your mind, Frost,” he says, not waiting for her to respond.   
  


  
Her curiosity flairs a little. “What is that?”   
  
  


“Like you, he is also a fellow cryomancer.”   
  


  
Frost is surprised, and now intrigued. She didn’t know there were other people on Earthrealm who has the same powers as hers.   
  


  
This could be her chance to harness and truly get the most from her abilities. She already knows how to be an efficient hand-to-hand fighter. She’s been doing it for years.   
  


  
But she has the opportunity to become a powerful cryomancer, and who else would be better to teach her how to get the most from her powers than another cryomancer, after all?   
  


  
“The Lin Kuei is run by cryomancers?”   
  


  
“ _ A  _ cryomancer,” he corrects. And looking just a bit somber continues. “Unfortunately, you and Kuai Liang are the last known wielders of cryomancy. However, I’m sure he would be willing to teach you more should you go and ask him.”   
  


  
Frost already knows her answer. It’s not like she really has a choice; she’s technically homeless right now. Raiden probably knows that too.   
  


  
“Alright, I’ll bite. When do we leave?”   
  


* * *

  
China is big, and really beautiful. Articka is even more beautiful.

  
It’s cold, and a lot of the area is surrounded by snow. So delicate and soft, and it reminds her of a fantasy setting in a book she would read in the library when she was young.   
  


  
Raiden himself personally takes her, and a couple dozen other competitors, right to the entrance of the Lin Kuei itself.   
  


  
He leaves almost immediately after bringing them there, stating how he has other important matters to attend to, and that all the have to do going forward from here is to find Grandmaster Kuai Liang himself. He’ll take care of the rest.   
  


  
Walking up to Frost, he puts a firm hand on her shoulder.   
  


  
“Goodbye for now, Frost. We will talk again later, perhaps, but I hope this place has everything you’re looking for.”   
  


  
Frost, who really, truly wants to say  _ something _ grateful, could only bring out the words “Thank you,” and nothing else. She cringes inside, hating how hard it is for her to say what she wants to say, only because it brings emotion out of her.   
  


  
Raiden nods at her, as though he understands, and disappears in a burst of electricity.   
  


  
Walking around, Frost can’t help but feel impressed by the layout of the palace itself.   
  


  
The place itself is relatively big, almost like a school campus, but it’s so extremely well hidden that you’d have to know about where it is beforehand to find it.   
  


  
It’s also completely deserted.   
  


  
Raiden had told her that Kuai was the last surviving Lin Kuei member, and that he’s the one who built this place. He’s also hosting the tournament in order to recruit more Lin Kuei members.   
  


  
Frost doesn’t know how rebuilding a clan can be so important. It could just as easily get demolished again, so what’s the point?   
  


  
Maybe Kuai just felt lonely. (Maybe Frost is the lonely one, and that’s why she agreed to go.)   
  
  


Eventually, Frost comes across a garden-like area with a Buddist statue in the middle. Someone, who she assumes is the Grandmaster himself, is meditating in front of the statue.   
  


  
Approaching slowly and cautiously, Frost attempts to make her presence known.   
  


  
“Hey, are you-” but before she can finish her sentence, or even react for that matter, he moves at a speed faster than she thought possible, and is instantly flipped on her back.   
  


  
“Who are you, intruder,” he demands, pinning her wrists in place on the ground and preventing her from being able to move. “Why are you here?”   
  


  
Greatly annoyed and confused, she snaps out at him. “What do you mean ‘Why am I here’? I’m here for the fucking tournament.”   
  


  
The look on Kuai’s face makes it clear that he’s just as, if not  _ more  _ confused than she is.   
  


  
“Tournament?”   
  


  
“Yes, tournament,” she repeats. “Raiden sent me here to compete and join the Lin Kuei.” His grip hasn’t lessened, and she’s getting more and more restless.   
  


  
“Raiden?” he asks, his voice no longer angry, at least.   
  


  
Just then, the other competitors, who probably heard the commotion, began trickling into the room.   
  


  
Now just plain shocked, Kuai lets go of her hands and stands up, looking at each of them. Frost sits up, and finds herself having to bite down a laugh from the expression plastered on his face.   
  


  
After a pause, Kuai Liang recovers, sternly saying “Very well. Follow me, and we will find out if any of you are worthy enough to become a part of the Lin Kuei.”   
  


  
Walking out of the room, everyone is quick to follow him, including Frost, who can’t help but sigh quietly to herself about the situation that just transpired.   
  


  
Man, what has she gotten herself into this time?   
  


* * *

  
It’s been one month since she came here.   
  


  
Kuai Liang had made it clear that only one or two people would be worthy enough to actually be able to train as a Lin Kuei member. As it turns out, only a couple of people did  _ not  _ meet the Grandmaster’s standards, and were subsequently sent home.   
  


  
Frost, who knew that her combat abilities were more than subpar, did have a small, worrying feeling that she would’ve been one of those who didn’t make the cut. It’s wasn’t as if she didn’t have faith in her own skills, but Frost knows a lot about chance, and there was a  _ chance  _ that she’d be sent packing.   
  


  
However, she’s been here for merely a month, and she’s already quickly proven herself to be a strangely remarkable student.   
  


  
When it comes to training lessons, she’s made a name for herself by being the only student so far who could finish successfully finish a lesson in less than three tries. Everyone has to try and try again in order to do it, practice makes perfect, but Frost only needs to see it  _ once _ , and she’s already got a grasp on it.   
  


  
She takes great pride in knowing that Kuai Liang is already silently impressed by her.   
  


  
It’s not only the traditional Lin Kuei training that she’s shown extraordinary progress in, but also the personal cryomancy training that Kuai had taken upon himself to give to her.   
  


  
“You’re tensing up too much. Relax your hands, and don’t squeeze too hard.”   
  
  


Unfortunately, cryomancy is harder than Lin Kuei training, so she’s having take things slowly this time in order to do her lessons.   
  


  
The lesson for today in particular has Kuai trying to teach her how to freeze an extremely large object, in this case a tree that had fallen in the nearby woods, and then shattering the object into a thousand pieces.

  
She had already frozen the tree, which took just one try, much to her satisfaction. Breaking the tree had proven to be a much more difficult story, and they’ve already been at this for an hour and a half, but she doesn’t want the Grandmaster to see her as someone who gives up too easily. She doesn’t want to see herself as that kind of person either, if she had to be honest.   
  


  
Frost sighs in annoyance. “Alright, alright,” she mutters, dropping her hands and rolling her shoulders, forcing herself to relax just a little.   
  


  
Trying again, Frost holds out her hands and focuses on the tree. With her palms glowing blue, her power settling on the tree itself, she slightly squeezes her hands, making sure that she’s not squeezing too hard, and purposefully not tensing them either.   
  


  
She keeps squeezing slowly, and just when she thought she failed again, there’s a loud sound of popping glass, and the tree itself instantly breaks apart with hundreds of translucent shards exploding in all different directions.   
  


  
She blinks, and lets her hands fall back down to her sides. Next to her, Kuai Liang puts a hand on her shoulder.   
  


  
“Great job, Frost. Soon you’ll be able to do that without having to think about it.”   
  


  
She smiles at him. “Thank you, sifu. I’m sorry it took so long.”   
  


  
Kuai shakes his head. “No, don’t apologize for that. It’s actually quite amazing that you managed to do it so quickly. When I first learned, it took me around five hours. Fortunately, my brother was very patient with me.” He then puts his hand on his beard, thinking. “But then again, I was quite a few years younger than you are right now, so maybe that is why.”   
  


  
“Your brother?”   
  


  
Kuai Liang’s face changes. It’s very subtle, but Frost caught the sadness in it, and regretted asking instantly.   
  


  
“Yes,” he says, tone which clearly says the discussion is over before it started. “My brother.”   
  


  
Suddenly feeling very awkward, Frost tries to lighten the mood.   
  


  
“I’d watch out if I were you, Grandmaster. I think I’m gonna give your younger self a run for his money.”   
  


  
Kuai Liang huffs a laugh, mood seemingly going back to normal. Looking around at the scattered pieces of tree, he lets out a faint, approving smile.   
  


  
“It appears you already have, Frost.”  
  
. . .  
  
It’s been five months, and today is Frost’s birthday.   
  


  
She doesn’t really know how to feel about it. Growing up in a fight club where anything resembling weakness was a death sentence, she never had the privilege to celebrate her birthday.   
  


  
Even before then, her mother had always either purposefully forgotten it, or just didn’t care enough to do anything about it.   
  


  
So she doesn’t really care too much about it, but the rest of temple doesn’t feel the same way.   
  
  


After Grandmaster Kuai Liang had given birthday celebrations in general his approval, the students would take it upon themselves to throw each recipient a party for the day, going so far as to hike to the nearby village to gather party streamers and balloons.   
  


  
Every single person she’s come across today has wished her a happy birthday, a couple of them even giving her a gift, which has given Frost an unfamiliar, yet not unwelcome feeling in her gut.   
  


  
She probably should have known better, considering there had been three birthdays before hers which all had been celebrated in a similar fashion, but she fully expected her own birthday to get ignored, just as it always has been.   
  


  
So when she woke up today to the party cups and balloons and party hats and a huge, handmade banner that read “Happy Birthday, Frost!”, she felt completely shocked, but also secretly, secretly relieved.   
  


  
It’s as though a small, childish fantasy had been crossed off a bucket list she never even know she had.   
  


  
“Frost,” a voice calls out from behind her, disturbing her from her thoughts.   
  


  
Turning around, Frost sees the Grandmaster himself walking up to her, holding something in his hands.   
  


  
When he gets close enough, she can see that it’s a cupcake with a single lit candle in the middle.   
  


  
“Sifu, you didn’t have to do this,” she says, taking the cupcake anyway when he hands it to her.   
  


  
“I know I didn’t have to,” he says, something in his voice giving her the impression that he’s probably had this conversation before. “I wanted to. I give every student a cupcake on their birthday.”   
  
  


“Is that a tradition?” she asks, taking small bites of the surprisingly delicious cupcake.   
  


  
“No, not exactly. My older brother, Bi-Han, used to sneak me cupcakes like this on my birthdays since the Lin Kuei didn’t allow any sort of celebration otherwise.”   
  


  
“That was nice of him.” Pausing to take another bite, she continues. “I never really got to celebrate my birthday either, so I get it.”   
  


  
Kuai smiles at her in response. He then thinks for a moment, and after a slight hesitation, which Frost politely ignores, he talks again.   
  


  
“Frost, would you like to hear about what the Lin Kuei was like when I was younger?”   
  


  
Frost raises her eyebrows, surprised. Up until that point, Kuai Liang had always kept his past to himself, a closely guarded secret that know one is allowed to know. The only thing any of the students knew was that he was raised here as a Lin Kuei, and had stayed loyal to it for his entire life. Nothing else. She would have to be an absolute fool to pass up an opportunity to learn more about the man she currently respects more than anyone.   
  


  
“Of course, Grandmaster. Are you sure about telling me, though?”   
  


  
“Yes. I can sense your passion for the Lin Kuei, and I feel like you should be allowed to know more about your clan, since you’re going to be staying in it for a while.”   
  


  
Frost smiles. Not beaming, because that’s not how she is, but the feeling is still there all the same.   
  


  
“Thank you, sifu.”   
  
. . .   
  
It takes an entire year of staying at the Lin Kuei for it to finally feel like home.   
  
  


Since her birthday months ago, Frost had quickly proven herself to be one of the new Lin Kuei’s greatest students, possibly ever. She had passed every lesson with flying colors, and it came to a point where Kuai had to give her lessons that were planned months and months later, as she had advanced at a much faster pace than her peers.   
  


  
It’s because of that that she’s actually become an unofficial teacher helper for the Grandmaster. Any student having trouble with a lesson can reliably go to her should Kuai be too occupied.   
  


  
She loves it. She loves teaching people how to fight, and she loves the fact that she’s so good at fighting she’s able to teach them in the first place.   
  


  
That feeling of being sought after for  _ her  _ advice and for  _ her  _ guidance, despite not being the first one thought of, makes her feel so  _ incredibly  _ important. It’s such a fantastic feeling.   
  


  
She’s also learned more about the Lin Kuei itself, thanks to Kuai.   
  


  
She frowns upon the actual history of the assassin clan; the child kidnapping, the deaths of anyone who tried to leave, and the whole Cyber Lin Kuei fiasco. Kuai had told her that even friendships were banned, which made her think of just how oppressive the clan used to be. She’s honestly relieved that her Grandmaster is trying to create a new, honorable Lin Kuei.   
  


  
What was more interesting to her was learning about the people who Kuai Liang grew up with. All of them sound like worthy, power assassins, and it does excite her knowing that she’ll be considered an equal among them one day.   
  


  
There are two who Kuai spoke about with great fondness: Smoke and Bi-Han.   
  


  
Apparently Smoke, or Tomas, is Kuai’s best friend-turned-Revenant under tragic circumstances. Admittedly, Frost doesn’t know much about Revenants, but from what Kuai described, she can only hope she doesn’t suffer a similar fate.   
  


  
Bi-Han is the one who really piqued her interest in particular.   
  
  


Kuai had taken his codename, Sub-Zero, and donned his attire after he died in order to honor him.   
  


  
From the way Kuai spoke about him when he was alive, it was pretty obvious just how much respect and admiration and love he had, and still has, for his brother.   
  


  
Bi-Han, to put it simply, sounded like a colder, more dangerous version of Kuai Liang.   
  


  
He sounded like someone who didn’t hesitate, who never showed mercy to those unworthy of it, and who always made the hard decisions, no matter how much he didn’t want to.   
  


  
He was practically the embodiment of everything she desired to be in life.   
  


  
Frost is not one to actually look up to anyone, but Bi-Han is a really close candidate, and she wishes she could’ve met him.   
  


  
However, while she would never,  _ ever  _ admit it, she doesn’t mind following in the footsteps of Kuai Liang. He’s an admirable man, and definitely has enough power to make Frost a bit envious.   
  


  
She’s just grateful that he managed to see  _ something _ in her, something that allowed her to stay in the one place that has ever even remotely felt like a home.   
  


  
All those stories she’s heard of where people would go far and beyond to protect their friends, family, and home, she gets it now.   
  


  
The Lin Kuei is her home. It’s starting to mean so,  _ so  _ much to her, and what she wants more than anything is to help it strive, and reach its absolute perfection. She wants to help make that happen.   
  


  
Every threat, every enemy of the Lin Kuei, she’s going to kill them all. She won’t let anyone take it away from her, especially now that it’s become her new meaning to life, her new reason to live.   
  


  
Lin Kuei is all she has now. She’ll do everything she can to protect it.   
  


* * *

  
About three and a half years later, a threat shows up to the Lin Kuei palace. A threat that  _ should _ have been taken care of fairly easily, except this specific threat was welcomed instead.   


  
Hanzo Hasashi, Grandmaster of the rival Shirai Ryu, was personally invited to the Lin Kuei by Grandmaster Kuai Liang in order to talk about possible “peace relations” between the two clans.   
  


  
Frost, after having heard about it from Kuai himself, had obviously tried to stop it.   
  


  
“Sifu, we can’t trust him! He’s from the Shirai Ryu.”   
  


  
They were in his office, Kuai calmly sitting behind his desk, watching as Frost herself was pacing around the room, her anger slowly growing every minute.   
  


  
“I am aware of that, Frost.”   
  


  
“Then why did you invite him  _ here _ ? For all we know he could be planning to attack as soon as we let our guard down.”   
  


  
“Then we don’t let our guard down. We talk to him peacefully, and respectively, and should he choose to attack us instead we have the means to defend ourselves.”   
  


  
“After all he’s done, he doesn’t deserve respect.”   
  


  
“Frost-”   
  
  


“Least of all yours!”, she very nearly almost yells, turning to face and stare at Kuai. “He hurt you more than anyone, and you want to make  _ peace  _ with him?”   
  


Kuai sighs, already knowing that he’s not going to be able to change her thought process easily.   
He still tries.   
  


  
“What he has done was the result of a direct act of manipulation from Quan Chi. From the way I see it, Quan Chi is the one who ended my brother’s life, not Hanzo.”   
  


  
Frost scoffs. “No, Quan Chi is the one who handed him the gun. Hanzo is the one who chose to pull the trigger.”   
  


  
“Frost, that is enough!” Kuai reprimands, voice raising slightly and starting to sound angry. “The animosity between our clans have gone on long enough, and those responsible for it in the first place have long since gone. Now is the time more than ever to make allies.”   
  


  
Biting her tongue to keep from lashing out, Frost turns and leaves the room, slamming the door behind her.   
  


  
She knows she’s his heir apparent. She doesn’t want to do anything to mess it up.  
  
. . .   
  
Hanzo shows up two weeks later.   
  


  
Frost sees him sitting across from Kuai, both of them are talking. She sees her chance to attack when Kuai starts talking about Sektor and what happened with the Cyber Initiative.   
  


  
Shooting an ice ball right at Hanzo, who quickly dodged it, she sprints towards him.   
  


  
When she reaches him and starts to attack, Hanzo ends up landing a hard kick right in her stomach, and knocking the wind out of her and bringing her to the ground.   
  
  


Hanzo rightfully thinks he’s been tricked, and so both of the men start fighting while Frost recovers on the ground.   
  


  
When she’s able to get on her feet again, Kuai had just been downed and is on his knees.   
  


  
Frost sees another chance in attacking when Hanzo raises his sword to land a killing blow on Kuai.   
  


  
Hanzo couldn’t turn around to block her fast enough, so she would have landed a devastating hit had her entire body not been frozen right at that moment.   
  


  
She lost consciousness, and doesn’t know until later that Kuai Liang had frozen her to stop her.   
  


  
The Lin Kuei and Shirai Ryu had made peace. Kuai had been furious with her.   
  


  
She leaves soon after, the bitter taste of shame and betrayal following her for months afterwards.   
  


* * *

  
She’s sitting in a boxcar of a train when time starts shifting.   
  


  
She feels as though she’s having a very strange, very lucid dream, when the shape of the world around her starts glitching out.   
  


  
A Titan named Kronika approaches her, offering her the chance to get revenge on Sub-Zero for abandoning her, and to become the new Grandmaster for the Lin Kuei.   
  


  
“Kuai Liang never truly saw the potential in you, Frost,” she had said, face very sympathetic. “I do. You’re an extremely powerful woman, and I can help you get stronger, if you’ll only let me.”   
  


  
And so she does.   
  


  
She does Kronika’s bidding. She joins forces with Sektor. They kidnap the remaining Lin Kuei members.   
  


  
_ They’re not my friends anymore  _ she has to tell herself, over and over and over.   
  


  
The power Kronika had promised had been Cybernetics itself. Frost agrees to take it, to change her body into something more dominating, more deadly, because she  _ knows  _ she can handle it. She  _ knows  _ she’s supposed to be stronger, and she  _ knows  _ she’s going to do great things with it.   
  


  
This is the new Frost, a Frost more powerful and dangerous and she’s going to make everyone who ever looked past her regret it.   
  


  
Unlike Sektor or Cyrax, she doesn’t become a full cyborg. She still gets to keep her face.   
  


  
“You’ve done so well, Frost,” Kronika says, putting a gentle, yet chillingly cold, hand on her shoulder. “My faith in you is not misplaced. With my support, you’re on your way to do truly outstanding things. Don’t let anyone else hold you back anymore.”   
  


  
She won’t, she won’t.   
  
. . .   
  
She’s with Cyrax, uploading the neurological transmitters of the fallen Lin Kuei members, when a familiar ache of ice hits her from behind.   
  


  
She doesn’t pass out this time, her cybernetics prevents her body from shutting down to that point.   
  


  
Kuai Liang is here with Hanzo Hasashi, probably to prevent Sektor from restarting the Cyber Lin Kuei.   
  


  
She unfreezes, and saves Cyrax from Hanzo’s headlock.   
  


  
“I gave you a home. I was your mentor,” he’s upset. Not because he’s angry, but because he’s sad, and disappointed, but she can’t think about that right now. “Yet after all this, you ally with Sektor? He corrupted the Lin Kuei!”   
  


  
It’s unfair that he knows how much the Lin Kuei means to her.   
  


  
“You corrupted our clan when you made peace with this Shirai Ryu filth! With Kronika’s help, I will restore the Lin Kuei’s honor.”   
  


  
He tells her that she’s not fit to lead the Lin Kuei, that there’s no future where she is, and Kronika’s voice rings in her mind.   
  


  
_ He’s always doubted you. _ _  
  
_

_  
_ “You’ve always doubted me, Sub-Zero.” No longer Kuai, or Sifu, or Grandmaster to her.   
  


  
_ Held you back. _   
  


  
“Held me back.”   
  


  
_ I see your true potential. _ _  
  
_

_  
_ “Kronika sees my true potential.”   
  


  
And then they fight face to face for the first time. But even with her new body and new mind, she gets defeated because she’s not strong enough. Why is she never strong enough? Not even against him?   
  


  
“You deceive yourself, Frost.”   
  


  
Maybe she does. She’ll stick to her loyalties anyway. It’s all she can do.   
  
. . .    
  
Kronika gives her another chance. This time, she’s in charge of having the entire Cyber Lin Kuei intercept Kharon’s boat when it reaches the Sea of Blood. She has to defend Kronika’s Keep at all costs.   
  


  
Unfortunately for her, she seems to have to fight everyone she  _ doesn’t  _ want to fight.   
  


  
It’s clear Raiden is also disappointed in her. She doesn’t care; it’s not like  _ he  _ was someone she wanted to impress.   
  


  
She brags about being the one to control the entire fleet that is attacking his crew. It’s truly amazing, being able to control so many bodies with just your mind, even if the bodies are just empty husks of people they used to be.   
  


  
“You have made a devil’s bargain with Kronika, Frost,” he scolds.   
  


  
Why does  _ he _ care? He doesn’t even know her!   
  


  
“You ignored me my entire life!” and he did, and so did Fujin, and so did every single one of the Elder Gods.    
  


  
Beings who claim to want to protect Earthrealm, but won’t even bother to help the people living in it unless it brings  _ them  _ some profit. How many people are dying of poverty, of homelessness or starvation, of things the Gods could so easily take care of, if only they cared at all? Too many.   
  


  
But she doesn’t have time to say all that.   
  


  
“Kronika saw my talent from the start.”   
  


  
So did Kuai Liang, but he gave up on her, and she probably should have given up on herself too. She picked a fight with a God, of course it wasn’t going to end in her favor.   
  


  
She’s no Liu Kang. She’s not a ‘Chosen One’. She’s just a woman who keeps making mistakes because she wants someone to just  _ appreciate _ her for once.   
  


  
She loses. It’s not surprising anymore.   
  


* * *

  
Everything has happened so fast, Frost doesn’t know what to do anymore.  
  
  


Everything has went wrong so fast, and she knows she’s the reason for it.   
  


  
She’s tired, and she’s hungry, and she’s so, so  _ alone _ . More alone than she ever has been, because she’s the one who made it this way.   
  


  
She acted too cocky, and too arrogant, and she couldn’t back the claims up at all.   
  


  
She’s hurt everyone she’s ever cared about, and doesn’t really know why anymore. All she knows is that they left her because of it, and there’s nothing she can do.   
  


  
She just wants to go home.   
  


  
She wants to go back to the Lin Kuei.   
  


  
_ He’ll never take you back. _   
  


  
She knows.   
  
  


_ You’ve hurt him too much. He’s been through enough already. _ _  
  
_

_  
_ She knows.   
  


  
_ There’s no harm in trying. _ _  
  
_

_  
_ She sighs. That’s what he always said.   
  


  
Frost gets up, and starts walking down a path to some familiar place.   
  


  
She’s already fallen down as low as she can go. Her pride can’t fall any lower.   
  


* * *

  
She’s standing in front of Kuai Liang, on the steps of the Lin Kuei temple, her fists clenched tightly at her sides and her head is looking pointedly at the ground, as though the floor itself is going to swallow her whole in any second.   
  


  
She’s come to apologize. She doesn’t know why she’s having trouble, either. Why she’s hesitating, like Kuai is going to harshly reject her and ban her from ever stepping foot into Articka at all.   
  


  
It’s just two simple words. All she has to do is say them and hope for the best. Maybe try to give a somewhat justifiable reason for her awful actions. It’s so  _ easy _ . Why is she having so much trouble?   
  


  
“I’m sorry,” she mutters, so low, almost like she’s talking to herself. She tries again.   
  


  
“I’m sorry,” she forces out, before Kuai can say anything in response to her first attempt. It’s louder this time, but unfortunately for her, it comes out sounding way more choked and aggressive than she intended.   
  
  


She still can’t bring herself to look at him, not even a glance, and now there’s a rock forming in her throat; an invisible thumb pressing down, hard, right where an Adam’s apple would be. It’s making it harder to speak.   
  


  
She realizes, almost horrifyingly, that her eyes are starting to burn.   
  


  
“I’m-” This time her voice breaks, going an octave higher and sounded completely strangled. Her eyes are blurring, and her embarrassment is growing, and she wants to cry.   
  


  
_ And cry and cry and cry and -  _ _  
  
_

_  
_ Two large arms wrap themselves around her in a hug, pulling her close.   
  


  
“Welcome home, Frost,” Kuai Liang says softly, so gently, putting a hand on her head and hugging her tighter. “I’ve missed you dearly.”   
  


  
She’ll have to add “I’ve missed you too,” to the list of things she’ll never get the courage to say.   
  


  
She closes her eyes.   
  


  
Okay. This is enough for now.

**Author's Note:**

> Not even gonna lie I kinda gave up towards the end but like I’ve literally been working on this everyday for a week straight. I just want it done!
> 
> This is just me exploring her character a bit, so obviously I might have written her a bit OOC but you know, this is just a story. No need to get angry over it.
> 
> Personally, I view Frost more as a “Feels like the worst, acts like the best” and “Fake it ‘til you make it” kind of character, and I drew a lot of inspiration from her character intros in MK11.


End file.
